Some questions

sun-star · 06-07-2006, 06:10 AM

(First of all, I know the answer to this question is "Lewis didn't think it was important"; I think The Silver Chair is a fantastic book and no one loves Caspian more than me. But go along with it...)

I only just realised that we never find out in the books what happens to Queen Prunaprismia after Miraz's death and more importantly, what happens to her baby son. Do they choose to leave Narnia at the end of Prince Caspian? Surely it would be very foolish for Caspian (and his advisors, Aslan at this stage) to let this child disappear. As Miraz's son, he's Caspian's cousin, the nephew of Caspian IX, and if Narnian laws of succession are the same as ours, which they seem to be, he's Caspian's only heir until Caspian himself has a son. If Caspian were to die without issue, this boy would be the next king of Narnia. A useful person to have around, you'd think.

Of course, this doesn't matter while Caspian is young and has many years ahead of him - while he's the king we see in Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. But when Caspian's wife dies and Rilian is lost, Caspian "has no prince of his blood to be king after him" (Aslan's words in The Silver Chair), and won't even allow anyone to go in search of Rilian, because so many people have died trying. Hence Jill and Eustace's quest, Caspian's last voyage to Aslan, etc. It seems to me this could all have been avoided if someone had had a little foresight at Caspian's coronation...

So, speculation time:
What do you think happened to Prunaprismia and her son? Why didn't Aslan get Caspian to keep the boy around, just in case? And what would have happened to Narnia if Jill and Eustace had failed in their quest, and Rilian hadn't been found?

GreyMouser · 06-07-2006, 11:27 AM

Weren't the Telormenes who refused to accept the new order and get along with the Old Narnians given the option of going back to the island in our world that they came from?

I imagine that the members of the former royal family would be among those least likely to accept the overthrow, especially if it put Caspian in charge- I assume that they would have returned to our world, and would not be a danger.

GreyMouser · 06-07-2006, 11:41 AM

Or are you saying they should have kept him around? I would think that a legitimate successor whose father you overthrew and (apparently) had killed, and who may have been able to rally a potentially rebellious faction -the former ruling Telmarines- would have been the last person you would have wanted hanging around Cair Paravel.

Look at Mary Queen of Scots and the Princes in the Tower- though I'm sure Caspian was too noble and pure for that....

But I bet he was leading her by the elbow saying "come on Auntie Pru, think of that wonderful tropical paradise on the other side- beaches, drinks with little umbrellas- Waddya mean, I pushed her through? She tripped- I was just trying to help her up- you all saw it! Right? RIGHT?!?!"

sun-star · 06-07-2006, 02:18 PM

Yes, that's a good point about rebellious factions. Although he doesn't have a legitimate claim to precede Caspian, only to succeed him, these questions do sometimes get rather blurred

. Still, it might have helped in the early days of Caspian's reign to have a designated heir - it's always risky to make an unmarried boy a king, when he could be killed any minute in wars against the giants and leave a succession crisis behind. It would have been convenient for Caspian to be able to say to his subjects, "Yes, I'm going on a long voyage to God-knows-where, and I might be kidnapped into slavery and nearly be crushed by a sea-serpent, but don't worry, my cousin is my heir."

Forkbeard · 06-09-2006, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sun-star

(First of all, I know the answer to this question is "Lewis didn't think it was important"; I think The Silver Chair is a fantastic book and no one loves Caspian more than me. But go along with it...)

I only just realised that we never find out in the books what happens to Queen Prunaprismia after Miraz's death and more importantly, what happens to her baby son. Do they choose to leave Narnia at the end of Prince Caspian? Surely it would be very foolish for Caspian (and his advisors, Aslan at this stage) to let this child disappear. As Miraz's son, he's Caspian's cousin, the nephew of Caspian IX, and if Narnian laws of succession are the same as ours, which they seem to be, he's Caspian's only heir until Caspian himself has a son. If Caspian were to die without issue, this boy would be the next king of Narnia. A useful person to have around, you'd think.

Of course, this doesn't matter while Caspian is young and has many years ahead of him - while he's the king we see in Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. But when Caspian's wife dies and Rilian is lost, Caspian "has no prince of his blood to be king after him" (Aslan's words in The Silver Chair), and won't even allow anyone to go in search of Rilian, because so many people have died trying. Hence Jill and Eustace's quest, Caspian's last voyage to Aslan, etc. It seems to me this could all have been avoided if someone had had a little foresight at Caspian's coronation...

So, speculation time:
What do you think happened to Prunaprismia and her son? Why didn't Aslan get Caspian to keep the boy around, just in case? And what would have happened to Narnia if Jill and Eustace had failed in their quest, and Rilian hadn't been found?

I would fully expect, given what we know of Prunaprisimia, that she chose to go through the portal, and her son was too young to have a voice in the matter.

06-07-2006, 06:10 AM	#1
sun-star Lady of Letters Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Either Oxford or Kent, England Posts: 2,476	Some questions (First of all, I know the answer to this question is "Lewis didn't think it was important"; I think The Silver Chair is a fantastic book and no one loves Caspian more than me. But go along with it...) I only just realised that we never find out in the books what happens to Queen Prunaprismia after Miraz's death and more importantly, what happens to her baby son. Do they choose to leave Narnia at the end of Prince Caspian? Surely it would be very foolish for Caspian (and his advisors, Aslan at this stage) to let this child disappear. As Miraz's son, he's Caspian's cousin, the nephew of Caspian IX, and if Narnian laws of succession are the same as ours, which they seem to be, he's Caspian's only heir until Caspian himself has a son. If Caspian were to die without issue, this boy would be the next king of Narnia. A useful person to have around, you'd think. Of course, this doesn't matter while Caspian is young and has many years ahead of him - while he's the king we see in Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. But when Caspian's wife dies and Rilian is lost, Caspian "has no prince of his blood to be king after him" (Aslan's words in The Silver Chair), and won't even allow anyone to go in search of Rilian, because so many people have died trying. Hence Jill and Eustace's quest, Caspian's last voyage to Aslan, etc. It seems to me this could all have been avoided if someone had had a little foresight at Caspian's coronation... So, speculation time: What do you think happened to Prunaprismia and her son? Why didn't Aslan get Caspian to keep the boy around, just in case? And what would have happened to Narnia if Jill and Eustace had failed in their quest, and Rilian hadn't been found? __________________ And all the time the waves, the waves, the waves Chase, intersect and flatten on the sand As they have done for centuries, as they will For centuries to come, when not a soul Is left to picnic on the blazing rocks, When England is not England, when mankind Has blown himself to pieces. Still the sea, Consolingly disastrous, will return While the strange starfish, hugely magnified, Waits in the jewelled basin of a pool.

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06-07-2006, 11:27 AM	#2
GreyMouser Elven Warrior Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 301	Weren't the Telormenes who refused to accept the new order and get along with the Old Narnians given the option of going back to the island in our world that they came from? I imagine that the members of the former royal family would be among those least likely to accept the overthrow, especially if it put Caspian in charge- I assume that they would have returned to our world, and would not be a danger.

06-07-2006, 11:41 AM	#3
GreyMouser Elven Warrior Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 301	Or are you saying they should have kept him around? I would think that a legitimate successor whose father you overthrew and (apparently) had killed, and who may have been able to rally a potentially rebellious faction -the former ruling Telmarines- would have been the last person you would have wanted hanging around Cair Paravel. Look at Mary Queen of Scots and the Princes in the Tower- though I'm sure Caspian was too noble and pure for that.... But I bet he was leading her by the elbow saying "come on Auntie Pru, think of that wonderful tropical paradise on the other side- beaches, drinks with little umbrellas- Waddya mean, I pushed her through? She tripped- I was just trying to help her up- you all saw it! Right? RIGHT?!?!"

06-07-2006, 02:18 PM	#4
sun-star Lady of Letters Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Either Oxford or Kent, England Posts: 2,476	Yes, that's a good point about rebellious factions. Although he doesn't have a legitimate claim to precede Caspian, only to succeed him, these questions do sometimes get rather blurred . Still, it might have helped in the early days of Caspian's reign to have a designated heir - it's always risky to make an unmarried boy a king, when he could be killed any minute in wars against the giants and leave a succession crisis behind. It would have been convenient for Caspian to be able to say to his subjects, "Yes, I'm going on a long voyage to God-knows-where, and I might be kidnapped into slavery and nearly be crushed by a sea-serpent, but don't worry, my cousin is my heir."